Glossary

Smaller earthquakes that follow strong main shocks, often in large numbers.

Building Downtime

In this work the estimated building downtime is limited to the downtime required to complete the repair work

Critical Facilities

The primary physical structures, technical facilities and systems which are socially, economically or operationally essential to the functioning of a society or community, both in routine circumstances and in extreme circumstances of an emergency (UNISDR, 2010).

Comment: Critical facilities are elements of the infrastructure that support essential services in a society. They include such things as transport systems, air and sea ports, electricity, water and communication systems, hospitals and health clinics, and centers for fire, police and public administration services (UNISDR, 2010).

Critical

Infrastructure (CI)

An asset, system or part thereof located in Member States which is essential for the maintenance of vital societal functions, health, safety, security, economic or social well-being of people, and the disruption or destruction of which would have a significant impact in a Member State as a result of the failure to maintain those functions (Council Directive 2008/114/EC)

Disaster

A serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society causing widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses that exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources (UNISDR, 2010).

Early Recovery

A multidimensional process of recovery that begins in a humanitarian setting. It is guided by development principles that seek to build on humanitarian programs and to catalyze sustainable development opportunities. It aims to generate self sustaining, nationally owned, resilient processes for post crisis recovery. It encompasses the restoration of basic services, livelihoods, shelter, governance, security and rule of law, environment and social dimensions, including the reintegration of displaced populations (CWGER, 2008).

Economic Loss

In this work the assessment of economic loss is limited to the direct cost of rehabilitating structural and non-structural earthquake, blast, impact or fire damage.

European

Critical

Infrastructure (ECI)

Critical Infrastructure located in Member States the disruption or destruction of which would have a significant impact on at least two Member States (Directive 2008/114/EC).

Fragility Functions

for non-structural

components

In this work they show the probability of the non-structural component experiencing or exceeding a certain damage state conditioned on the level of acceleration in the case of acceleration-sensitive non-structural components or the level of drift in the case of drift-sensitive non-structural components.

Hazard

A dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage (UNISDR, 2010).

Hypocenter

Focal point of the initial rupture of an earthquake

Intermediate

Recovery

Phase of recovery which involves returning individuals, families, critical infrastructure and essential government or commercial services to a functional, if not pre-disaster, state (FEMA, 2011).

Long-Term

Recovery

Phase of recovery that may continue for months or years and addresses complete redevelopment and revitalization of the impacted area, rebuilding or relocating damaged or destroyed social, economic, natural and built environments and a move to self-sufficiency, sustainability and resilience (FEMA, 2011).

Magnitude

Size of an earthquake measured on the open ended scale of moment magnitude, sometimes called Richter magnitude.

Manmade Hazard

A hazard that originates from human activity and can be a technological hazard or terrorism

Mitigation

Capabilities necessary to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Mitigation capabilities include, but are not limited to, efforts to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure and risk reduction for specific vulnerabilities from natural hazards and acts of terrorism (FEMA, 2011).

Natural Hazard

A natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage (SEC(2010) 1626 Final).

Non-Governmental

Organization (NGO)

A nongovernmental entity that serves the interests of its members, individuals, or institutions and is not for private benefit (FEMA, 2011).

Non-structural

Components

All items in a building other than the building structural system and its foundation.

Included are all architectural elements such as cladding, glazing, ceiling systems and interior partitions that are permanently attached to the building; all mechanical and electrical equipment such as fire sprinkler systems, water and sewer piping, HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) systems and electrical distribution and lighting systems that are permanently attached to the building.

For the purposes of this proposal non-structural components do not include building contents.

Post-Disaster

Needs

Assessment

(PDNA)

A government-led exercise, with integrated support from the United Nations, the European Commission, the World Bank and other national and international actors that pulls together into a single, consolidated report, detailed information on the physical impacts of a disaster, the economic value of the damages and losses, the human impacts as experienced by the affected population and the resulting early and long-term recovery needs and priorities (IRP, 2011).

This term is taken in this proposal to include repair, retrofit and replacement and is used interchangeably with these words.

Resilience

Ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies (FEMA, 2011).

Response

Those capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred (FEMA, 2011).

Short-Term Recovery

Phase of recovery which addresses the health and safety needs beyond rescue, the assessment of the scope of damages and needs, the restoration of basic infrastructure and the mobilization of recovery organizations and resources including restarting and/or restoring essential services for recovery decision-making (FEMA, 2011).

Structural Components

These are the components in a constructed facility that carry the loads. In a building they include beams, columns, slabs and shearing walls

Taxonomy

Categorization system

Technological Hazard

It is an accidental hazard and its consequences are unintended

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that owns the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) term specifically defines Wi-Fi as any ‘wireless local area network (WLAN) products that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.’